Tournou le Haut lies in the Languedoc wine region of Southern France, south of the historic Medieval town of Carcassonne, on a hilltop in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
The Largest Medieval Walled City in Europe
Carcassonne is a sight to behold, an entire medieval city, with towers, narrow passages, double walls, and centuries of history. A visit to Carcassonne is like stepping back to the time of knights, troubadors, kings and queens, noblemen and knaves, and of course the church. It was in this region that one of the largest, longest and fiercest battles of the French Crusades took place in the 13th century as the Pope's army tried to capture the city of Carcassonne. They never did; it was taken by trickery and broken promises.
Today, the Cite is filled with grourmet restaurants, eclectic shops, jousting exhibitions, and classical music, interspersed with wandering minstrels and jugglers. A visit to Carcassonne is a treat for the whole family. And if you happen to be around on July 14th, Bastille Day, the evening fireworks are the most spectacular in all of Europe, with waterfalls of fireworks spilling out of the towers and over the crenulated walls. A sight and sensory spectacular like you've never experienced.
History you can see and touch !
More than a dozen ruined castles and fortresses sit at the tops of impregnable moutains throughout the Languedoc region. Many were first built to guard the border with Aragon (Spain), others built as sanctuaries for the Cathars, who were persecuted to extinction by the Catholic church in the 13th century.
And you can walk up to all of them. The hikes up the mountain side are somewhat exhausting, but the views and the sense of wonder (how did they do this without any machines?) will inspire children and adults alike. Imagine what life must have been like, huddling inside the castle while the advancing Crusader army tried to storm your last refuge.
Not far from Tournou le Haut is the village of Rennes-le-Chateau, supposedly the site of the Cathar treasure and even once a repository of the Holy Grail. If you've read the best selling book, Holy Blood -Holy Grail, you will know the mysteries that surround this hilltop village.
The Wine Region
The Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest vine growing area in the world. Stretching from the Rhône to the Pyrenees, the wine region is several times bigger than, for example, Bordeaux or the wine growing region of Australia. The region covers 27,400 km2 and five departments: the Aude, Gard, Hérault, Lozère, and Pyrénées-Orientales.
The Languedoc seems to have come of age. No longer is it a sea of cheap wine with just a handful of quality producers. It’s now a slightly smaller sea of cheap wine but with dozens of serious, ambitious producers. Looking down the list of up and coming vignerons, many have had their first vintage within the last five years. Things are indeed moving fast in the Languedoc.
The Languedoc: Food of the Gods
The Languedoc is renowned for the diversity of its agricultural and seafood produce and boasts a delightfully authentic cuisine. Based on olive oil, garlic and basil, this cuisine is typically flavoured with herbs of the Provencal garrigue (scrubland) such as thyme, rosemary, bay, savory. Cheeses, wines, honey and fruit complement the rural and coastal specialities.
Cassoulet is one of the crowning glories of Languedoc’s cuisine. The basic ingredient is ‘lingot’ beans, which is mixed with confit d’oie (goose conserve), garlic, pork sausage and rind and sometimes partridge or mutton, depending on the local recipe and availability. The whole thing is slow-cooked in an earthenware pot or ‘cassole’.
Don’t forget the local seafood platters: snails, sea urchins, mussels, clams… where the pleasures of sight and taste combine and you have the chance to sample the Thau basin oysters.
